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The Mississippi Lawyer Summer 2015 29 The section is currently fine-tuning a proposed Mississippi Rule of Appellate Procedure that if adopted by the Supreme Court will provide a mecha- nism for the Court to appoint pro bono counsel in the states two appellate courts. The rules do not currently pro- vide for the appointment of pro bono counsel in appeals. Many people have worked very hard on this rule and we think it could really help further the Bars mission of provid- ing greater access to our judicial system for people in our state says David McCarty the Appellate Practice Sections current Chair and owner of a solo practice in downtown Jackson that focuses mostly on appeals. Once the section finalizes its propos- al the draft will be submitted to the Mississippi Supreme Court which is charged with adopting all changes to the Rules of Appellate Procedure. A system of pro bono appellate coun- sel was one of the early goals for McCarty and Michael Bentley two Jackson lawyers whose appellate work figures heavily into their practices. McCarty is a former law clerk to the Hon. James E. Graves Jr. then of the Mississippi Supreme Court and Bentley clerked for Judge Leslie Southwick on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. In one of our earliest conversations Michael brought up the fact that many times people are unrepresented by coun- sel during an appeal McCarty said. We talk a lot about how appeals especially need careful attention by experienced lawyers and the idea of folks having no lawyer at all has really bothered me. Bentley and McCarty were part of a group that petitioned the Mississippi Bar Association in 2011 to create the Appellate Practice Section which offi- cially opened for membership in 2012. It is the Mississippi Bar Associations 16th practice section. Appellate litigation has become a distinct practice area which requires developing skills that are different from those that are required of a general or trial court litigator said Bentley a part- ner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. Bentley served as Chair of the Appellate Practice Section in 2013-2014. We also spoke with justices and judges on our state appellate courts all of whom encouraged the idea which they saw as a hree years after its formation theAppellate Practice Section is on the road to completing a landmark achievement the establishment of a system of pro bono counsel at the Missis- sippi Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.T By Will Bardwell The Mississippi Bar Appellate Law Section Board MemberContinued on next page HED Continued development of rule for pro bono appellate counsel highlights Appellate Practice Sections third year